Teenagers Who Stole Baby At Newcastle Primark Sentenced

Two girls who kidnapped a toddler from a Primark store have been sentenced to three years three months' detention.

The two-year-old was found an hour and 45 minutes later after being tracked via CCTV cameras to a park about three miles away from the Newcastle store.

The girls, aged 13 and 14, admitted kidnap at an earlier hearing.

Sentencing them, the judge at Newcastle Crown Court said although the child came to "no actual harm", there had been intent, planning and enticement.

Just before the kidnap, in April, the teenagers, from Tyneside, had shoplifted dummies, baby milk and a bottle.

They were initially charged with kidnap with the intention of committing a sexual offence but this was dropped after the prosecution accepted a plea to the alternative charge of kidnap.

Internet searches on a tablet belonging to the younger girl included "rape", "people getting raped", "young people getting raped", "poor little thing getting kidnapped and raped".

Mr Justice Globe said the two girls put forward different accounts of the incident, but neither had explained to his satisfaction what actually happened.
He said their accounts "produce more questions than answers".

The judge initially sentenced them to three years and four months but took a month off having heard they have been subject to a curfew since pleading guilty to kidnap.